A 23 year old male asthmatic factory worker was in consultation with a Wellness Coach. The young man works making concrete forms for bridges and overpasses in an environment where he is constantly exposed to particles of concrete dust. In conversation with the Coach, it was discovered that he wasn’t taking any medication nor carrying an inhaler, due to the fact that he had no health insurance with his previous employer. Through proactive intervention by the Coach, the man was instructed to always wear a mask on the job (which are provided at no charge by the employer), and to immediately make an appointment with a physician to get a prescription for the necessary asthmas medications and inhaler-which should be mandatory for him to carry in his pocket in case of an asthma attack.
In this situation, coaching has prevented a minimum of an emergency room visit for exacerbation of asthma and a possible in patient admission due to concrete dust particles in the lungs which could lead to pneumonia or severe bronchitis.
